SE: Connect with the Cats – Best Moments From K-State Football Players
May 29, 2020 | Football, Sports Extra
Wyatt Thompson sat down with Skylar Thompson, Wykeen Gill Jr., Justin Hughes, Wyatt Hubert and Walter Neil Jr. on Thursday night's edition of Connect with the Cats on Facebook Live. Get caught up on all the best moments from this players-only conversation featuring walkup songs, 1-on-1 basketball matchups and behind-the-scenes stories about K-State Football. The conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.
WT: Has anyone been a bit of a Zoom star and revealed a different side of their personality?
ST: We had a couple of team meetings and you can imagine with 120 guys on Zoom – and that's just the players, our whole staff was also there – they tell you to mute the mic before each meeting. There's somebody in this Zoom who comes in every time without it muted and just starts talking to everybody and that's Justin Hughes. Half the time, he's arguing about Kobe, Lebron, the Jordan debate or talking about somebody's hair line. You can expect it every time.
JH: It's just my personality. COVID-19 is a serious matter but I try and come in to team meetings with a positive attitude and just try to get everybody laughing and have it more like a family environment. Even during the season, I'm on the sidelines joking around and trying to take a little stress off the team. We're all here for a reason and you don't have to be stressed about what you're doing because you're doing what you love.
WT: If football had walk-up songs like baseball, what would your walk-up song be?
JH: Mine would probably, right now after going through my injury, be "Thug Motivation" by Rod Wave. It's an inspirational song and something I listened to throughout this whole rehab.
ST: It's definitely a Rod Wave song. I would probably go with "Bandit" by Rod Wave.
WG: I would probably go with one of the classics that really gets me going from the Notorious B.I.G. – I would go with "Big Poppa" or "Juicy."
WN: I would go smooth with some R&B. When we go out before our actual pre-game, I'm always playing some gospel. Probably like some Kirk Franklin or I would go R&B with Marvin Gaye.
WH: Probably this song called "Roxanne."
WT: Roxanne...that's one I've actually heard. I didn't think I was going to get any.
ST: I've got one for Wykeen – We're going to the Rec, one-on-one and you're playing Justin.
WG: What are we playing to?
ST: You're playing to 11, got to win by two. What would the score be?
WG: 11-2, me. He would get a deep two, I'll give him that.
ST: Yeah, a lucky one off the backboard or something.
JH: I can't argue with that, because Wykeen is such a great basketball player. I'm not even going to knock his style because he's a great basketball player. So, me guarding him, I would probably get disrespectful and try and let him shoot. He's the type of player that would probably make them. I don't know about 11-2 but Wykeen would probably win.
WT: Wykeen, are you off the bounce or using the jump shot?
WG: I would say off the bounce. I like to use that first dribble and then some pivot moves to go through guys. I like that screen game.
WT: Has anyone taken up a new hobby during quarantine like cooking or guitar?
WH: I've been doing a lot of hunting and fishing, with a lot of my teammates actually. I had never played Xbox and probably a few weeks into quarantine I was like you know what? I'm playing Xbox and now I can see why people get addicted.
WT: Best show or movie you've watched on Netflix?
JH: It's an old series on Nickelodeon. Avatar the Last Airbender, it touched me. Maybe it's the graphics or something.
WT: Just being honest here, we've got a question about Wyatt's hair?
WH: Yeah it's nice and pretty [laughs] - Among the guys on my team, my nickname is Thor because I've got such long hair.
WT: Walter, let me turn to you. This is almost two questions. We have a new defensive coordinator in Joe Klanderman. What's your relationship like with him and what does he bring to the table? And finally, last year was a really good year for you. Why did it click for you in this system?
WN: I love Coach Klanderman. We have a phenomenal relationship. When he first came here, I noticed he's very intellectual about playing football. In particular, I have stuff that I've lacked in the X's and O's. I went to a high school that wasn't very formation-oriented, we kind of just went out there and played. Coach Klanderman just taught me a lot about the game of football.
As far as this season, I was kind of nervous because I had never played a college game at corner. I was nervous at first, but Coach Malone did a great job telling me I needed to have confidence and teaching me how to play corner.
WT: Just to wrap it up here, I want you to tell me the funniest guy on the team and what's been the biggest thrill for you during your time at K-State?
WG: Well the guy who tries to be funny and is the funniest guy is Justin Hughes. No question. But the funny guys who aren't trying to be funny are Bronson Massie, D.J. Render or Ross Elder. Whenever I'm around them, I can't stop laughing.
My most memorable moment is more in-between the plays. There have been times where a big play will happen in the receiving core and the receivers and Skylar get together and give each other a look and every time we give each other a look it means we're sure we're going to do whatever we have to do to win. It's like go time.
ST: Noah Johnson is really funny. It's a strange funny, but it's funny. Any movie by Will Ferrell, he can quote it, and he will in the middle of a conversation. He's in our leadership council and Coach Klieman will send us a text about like a meeting or something. And he will reply with a Will Ferrell GIF to Coach Klieman. I love being around him, he's always positive and super funny.
Off the field memory, it was my first or second summer at K-State and we went out to Tuttle Creek with Denzel [Goolsby]. He had bought a jet-ski and the jet-ski was having problems. Denzel trusted me and J.D. [Jonathan Durham] to test drive the jet-ski and make sure it worked. As we were leaving the house, J.D. was joking about how we can call you if we get stranded.
Sure enough, we drove the jet ski and J.D. is pulling his truck up to the boat ramp. I'm sitting there and guiding him, and J.D. put his truck in park. But he didn't put it back far enough. I told him to bring it down just a foot more. So I was guiding him and he just kept coming. I'm screaming at him telling him to stop it and then he got out and we watched his whole truck float off into the lake and sink. About five seconds later, a bunch of bubbles came up. We were dying laughing but he was pretty upset.
Next thing I know, we started walking back because our phones were 30 feet deep in Tuttle Creek Lake. This car drove by and we asked them if they could give us a ride. We didn't have any shoes on, and they just looked at us, said no and drove off.
WT: Has anyone been a bit of a Zoom star and revealed a different side of their personality?
ST: We had a couple of team meetings and you can imagine with 120 guys on Zoom – and that's just the players, our whole staff was also there – they tell you to mute the mic before each meeting. There's somebody in this Zoom who comes in every time without it muted and just starts talking to everybody and that's Justin Hughes. Half the time, he's arguing about Kobe, Lebron, the Jordan debate or talking about somebody's hair line. You can expect it every time.
JH: It's just my personality. COVID-19 is a serious matter but I try and come in to team meetings with a positive attitude and just try to get everybody laughing and have it more like a family environment. Even during the season, I'm on the sidelines joking around and trying to take a little stress off the team. We're all here for a reason and you don't have to be stressed about what you're doing because you're doing what you love.
WT: If football had walk-up songs like baseball, what would your walk-up song be?
JH: Mine would probably, right now after going through my injury, be "Thug Motivation" by Rod Wave. It's an inspirational song and something I listened to throughout this whole rehab.
ST: It's definitely a Rod Wave song. I would probably go with "Bandit" by Rod Wave.
WG: I would probably go with one of the classics that really gets me going from the Notorious B.I.G. – I would go with "Big Poppa" or "Juicy."
WN: I would go smooth with some R&B. When we go out before our actual pre-game, I'm always playing some gospel. Probably like some Kirk Franklin or I would go R&B with Marvin Gaye.
WH: Probably this song called "Roxanne."
WT: Roxanne...that's one I've actually heard. I didn't think I was going to get any.
ST: I've got one for Wykeen – We're going to the Rec, one-on-one and you're playing Justin.
WG: What are we playing to?
ST: You're playing to 11, got to win by two. What would the score be?
WG: 11-2, me. He would get a deep two, I'll give him that.
ST: Yeah, a lucky one off the backboard or something.
JH: I can't argue with that, because Wykeen is such a great basketball player. I'm not even going to knock his style because he's a great basketball player. So, me guarding him, I would probably get disrespectful and try and let him shoot. He's the type of player that would probably make them. I don't know about 11-2 but Wykeen would probably win.
WT: Wykeen, are you off the bounce or using the jump shot?
WG: I would say off the bounce. I like to use that first dribble and then some pivot moves to go through guys. I like that screen game.
WT: Has anyone taken up a new hobby during quarantine like cooking or guitar?
WH: I've been doing a lot of hunting and fishing, with a lot of my teammates actually. I had never played Xbox and probably a few weeks into quarantine I was like you know what? I'm playing Xbox and now I can see why people get addicted.
WT: Best show or movie you've watched on Netflix?
JH: It's an old series on Nickelodeon. Avatar the Last Airbender, it touched me. Maybe it's the graphics or something.
WT: Just being honest here, we've got a question about Wyatt's hair?
WH: Yeah it's nice and pretty [laughs] - Among the guys on my team, my nickname is Thor because I've got such long hair.
WT: Walter, let me turn to you. This is almost two questions. We have a new defensive coordinator in Joe Klanderman. What's your relationship like with him and what does he bring to the table? And finally, last year was a really good year for you. Why did it click for you in this system?
WN: I love Coach Klanderman. We have a phenomenal relationship. When he first came here, I noticed he's very intellectual about playing football. In particular, I have stuff that I've lacked in the X's and O's. I went to a high school that wasn't very formation-oriented, we kind of just went out there and played. Coach Klanderman just taught me a lot about the game of football.
As far as this season, I was kind of nervous because I had never played a college game at corner. I was nervous at first, but Coach Malone did a great job telling me I needed to have confidence and teaching me how to play corner.
WT: Just to wrap it up here, I want you to tell me the funniest guy on the team and what's been the biggest thrill for you during your time at K-State?
WG: Well the guy who tries to be funny and is the funniest guy is Justin Hughes. No question. But the funny guys who aren't trying to be funny are Bronson Massie, D.J. Render or Ross Elder. Whenever I'm around them, I can't stop laughing.
My most memorable moment is more in-between the plays. There have been times where a big play will happen in the receiving core and the receivers and Skylar get together and give each other a look and every time we give each other a look it means we're sure we're going to do whatever we have to do to win. It's like go time.
ST: Noah Johnson is really funny. It's a strange funny, but it's funny. Any movie by Will Ferrell, he can quote it, and he will in the middle of a conversation. He's in our leadership council and Coach Klieman will send us a text about like a meeting or something. And he will reply with a Will Ferrell GIF to Coach Klieman. I love being around him, he's always positive and super funny.
Off the field memory, it was my first or second summer at K-State and we went out to Tuttle Creek with Denzel [Goolsby]. He had bought a jet-ski and the jet-ski was having problems. Denzel trusted me and J.D. [Jonathan Durham] to test drive the jet-ski and make sure it worked. As we were leaving the house, J.D. was joking about how we can call you if we get stranded.
Sure enough, we drove the jet ski and J.D. is pulling his truck up to the boat ramp. I'm sitting there and guiding him, and J.D. put his truck in park. But he didn't put it back far enough. I told him to bring it down just a foot more. So I was guiding him and he just kept coming. I'm screaming at him telling him to stop it and then he got out and we watched his whole truck float off into the lake and sink. About five seconds later, a bunch of bubbles came up. We were dying laughing but he was pretty upset.
Next thing I know, we started walking back because our phones were 30 feet deep in Tuttle Creek Lake. This car drove by and we asked them if they could give us a ride. We didn't have any shoes on, and they just looked at us, said no and drove off.
Players Mentioned
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
DE
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
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